Grilled sandwiches don’t take long to prepare

Karen Freeman
Food Columnist

April 30, 2008 10:29 am

— Grilled sandwiches are easy, fun and delicious. It’s a great meal to take out on the deck or to the lake.
Set up your Panini grill or even your Hibachi and you’re in business. If you use your Hibachi, you may want to use some foil, so that the bread doesn’t burn before the cheese melts.
I like grilled sandwiches this time of year because they are easy to eat outside and don’t take long to prepare.
There are several types of bread that will lend themselves to making these sandwiches. You can use sub rolls, hoagie rolls, hamburger buns and even the small individual pizza breads (already baked and in a package). Any bread that can be pressed and grilled will work.
Recipe No. 1 is one of my favorite Panini’s. If I make grilled sandwiches for kids, I often cut off the crust or use my cookie cutter to make shapes. That adds some fun to a quick meal. A Panini can be almost any type sandwich material you choose. Whatever your favorite foods are, they can probably be adapted to make a Panini. So, have fun with this one by kicking up your favorite sandwiches with a Panini flare. Don’t forget to experiment with different meats, cheeses and breads.
The second recipe is an easy but delicious grilled sandwich. This simple sandwich can be made with any type of cheese. Gruyere is a rich and smooth type of Swiss cheese that is delicious with ham. But, if you have a favorite cheese, use that instead. Pepper Jack would give it a little bit of a zing.
The last recipe is a great one too. It uses pizza dough. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of buying the refrigerated dough, you can use the ones that are already cooked. Either way, this is an easy sandwich. Experiment with the ingredients until it’s exactly like you want it.

Ham and Portobello Panini

Sandwich Ham or any sliced, cooked ham
Munster Cheese (2 slices per sandwich) (May substitute other type of cheese)
1 large onion, sliced thinly (leave in rings)
1 Pkg Portobello Mushrooms (Number needed depends on number of sandwiches)
Mayonnaise
Garlic Powder or Minced Garlic
Olive Oil and butter (for sautéing)
Hoagie Rolls, sliced in half lengthwise

Slice onions and separate into rings. Heat skillet using olive oil and butter to cover bottom of pan. Sauté onions and Portobello mushrooms until onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender. Sprinkle with garlic powder or add minced garlic while sautéing.
Cover top of hoagie roll with mayo. On bottom of roll, layer ham, Munster cheese, onions and mushrooms. Place top on sandwich and place in heated grill. Close grill tightly to flatten sandwich. Grill until sandwich is heated through and cheese is melted.
Remove from grill and slice diagonally. The Panini can be served with the traditional sides that are usually served with sandwiches. However, I recommend serving it with a couple of chilled, crisp slices of a Granny Smith apple for a healthy side item.
If you do not have a Panini grill or a George Foreman grill, you can still make a Panini sandwich by placing the sandwich on a non-stick, heated skillet and flatten slightly with a spatula or bacon press. (A bacon press can be made with a clean brick wrapped in aluminum foil.)

Grilled Ham Gruyere Sandwiches

2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese
8 Slices Cracked Wheat Or Sourdough Bread
4 (1/4" Thick) Slices Deli Smoked Ham
4 Slices Gruyere Or Swiss Cheese
1/2 Cup Roasted Red Pepper Strips, Drained
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves Or Fresh Baby Spinach Leaves
2 Tbsp. Butter

In small bowl combine mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Spread on one side of each piece of bread. Make sandwiches with the coated bread, Gruyere cheese, ham, the red pepper strips, and basil or baby spinach. Spread outside of sandwiches with the softened butter.
Grill sandwiches on dual contact indoor grill or Panini grill or griddle until toasted and crisp. Serves 4

Chicken and Spinach Panini

10 Oz. Can Refrigerated Pizza Crust Dough
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
1/2 Tsp. Dried Marjoram Leaves
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Cup Chopped Red Onion
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
9 Oz. Pkg. Frozen Spinach, Thawed And Well Drained
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/8 Tsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 Tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
1/4 Tsp. Salt
4 Slices Havarti Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll pizza dough and place in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Press down on dough until it reaches edges of pan. Push with your fingers to form dimples. Brush with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, marjoram leaves, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes until light brown and set. Cool completely.
In small saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp tender. Add sugar and vinegar, then reduce heat to low. Simmer this mixture for 3 to 5 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Place onion mixture in a medium bowl; cool completely. Add well drained spinach, mayonnaise and pepper, mix well, and refrigerate.
Flatten each chicken breast half by placing between two pieces of waxed paper. Gently pound chicken with a rolling pin or meat mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. Remove paper and sprinkle chicken with thyme and salt.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat, then add chicken. Cook chicken for 8 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is browned and thoroughly cooked and juices run clear. Let chicken stand for 5 minutes, then cut into slices.
Cut cooled pizza crust into 4 rectangles. Remove rectangles from pan and spread the unseasoned side of each with 1/4 of the mayonnaise mixture. Top 2 rectangles, seasoned side down, with sliced chicken, cheese and remaining crust rectangles, seasoned side up, to make sandwiches.
Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place sandwiches in skillet. Place smaller skillet on top of sandwiches to flatten them as they cook. Cook 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp, thoroughly heated and browned, turning once halfway through cooking time. Cut each sandwich in half to serve. Or cook sandwiches, two at a time, on pannini or dual-contact grill, about 2-4 minutes or until bread is crisp and cheese is melted. 4 servings

Did you know?

This week’s Did you Know? comes from Fine Cooking, an online cooking magazine. The tips are winners from their tips contest.
Did you know that you can grill chicken in a cake pan?
Everyone knows about beer-can chicken, but what about cake-pan chicken? You can rub a whole chicken, inside and out, with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper; and then slide the tail end of the chicken over the hollow tube of a heavy-duty angel food pan. (The pan shouldn’t have a removable bottom.) Pour 1/2 cup each of chicken broth and white wine into the pan, set it on a hot grill, and close the lid. The chicken cooks evenly, and the cake pan catches flavorful drippings, which you can use to make a sauce.
— Linda Hildahl, Sioux City, Iowa

Did you know that if you heat your serving bowl with pasta water it keeps the pasta warm longer?
Whenever I drain pasta, I put my large pasta-serving bowl in the sink, under the colander. The hot water from the pot of cooked pasta warms the bowl while I season the pasta in the colander. After draining the bowl, which is now very warm, I put the pasta in it, toss to distribute the seasonings, and bring the bowl to the table. The pasta stays nice and hot throughout the meal.
— Carla Cimarosti, Bacliff, Texas

Did you know that an oven rack doubles as a pasta drying rack?
I love to make fresh pasta but since I don’t own a pasta drying rack, I press an oven rack into service. I just put one rack in the top position in the oven and remove the other rack. Next, I drape strands of pasta over each wire of the rack, letting the two halves hang down between the wires. Once I’m done, I push the rack back into the oven and close the door. This gives my pasta an out-of-the-way place to dry, protected from dust and pets. I also tape a note to the oven door, reminding me not to turn it on!
— Rex Browning, Mercer Island, Washington

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00221.asp

Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:
kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.
Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/

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